There are more significant issues as well. The pathfinding can be sketchy at times, you'll run into various glitches (some more serious than others), and the frame rate drops when there's a lot happening on screen. Moving the camera around the battlefield never feels natural, even though the basic WASD controls are fine—it's hard to say, but I think the problem is that by default the camera should be zoomed out just a tad more than it is. While the tutorial is quite detailed when it comes to turn-based gameplay—it circles all the icons you have to click—the developers basically abandon you when your first battle starts. You can read through some basics on how to control the action, but newcomers might want more strategy tips. (Fortunately, the game offers four different difficulty levels, and the "casual" setting should accommodate new players as they learn the ropes.)

These issues are rather surprising in light of the immense effort that Neocore put into other elements of the package. The graphics are terrific—they capture not only the changing seasons, but also the overall feel of a once-great land beset by a horrible force. The story is a marvel as well, and the opportunity to play in different ways will ensure that players don't stop after the first time they finish the game. There are also plenty of side quests, which will also expand play time.

But any video game is judged by how well it hooks the player—the best strategy titles cause players to become obsessed with their various systems, and to lose sleep playing late into the night. To the contrary, in King Arthur II, I found myself skipping battles whenever I could, and I stayed up late playing only because I had to write this review. That doesn't mean there's nothing to enjoy about this title, and, as they say, your mileage may vary. Only one thing is for certain: If you buy this game, you will spend a lot of time being read to.